The fully mature oocyte is surrounded by a thick transparent membrane called zona pellucida containing yolk and fat droplets.

It is covered by another striated layer ot columnar cells, called corona radiata.

In the stroma there are also found groups of interstitial cells which produce sex hormones (oestrogen).

Eventually each mature follicle bursts to liberate the oocyte into body cavity, a process known as ovulation.

The follicular cells remaining behind divide rapidly to form a yellowish solid mass of cells called corpus luteum.

During pregnancy it serves as a temporary endocrine gland secreting a hormone (progesterone).

It causes uterus to enlarge to receive the growing foetus and stimulates lactation.

If ovum is not fertilized, corpus luteum gradually disappears leaving a scar called corpus albicans.

2. OVIDUCTS

Each oviduct opens anteriorly, close to the outer border of the ovary of its side, by a wide funnel called fallopian or oviducal funnel.

The opening of funnel, or ostium, is provided with many cilia to receive the minute ova released from the ovary.

Funnel leads into the upper part of oviduct. It is a short, narrow, coiled and internally ciliated duct called fallopian tube. Ova pass. through this tube by ciliary action and fertilization also occurs here.

The fallopian tube is followed by a much wider, longer convoluted, thick walled muscular tube the uterus.

It is richly vascular and highly distensible and attached to the dorsal abdominal wall by a mesentery.

Fertilized ova or zygotes get implanted on the uterine wall to develop into embryos or foetuses, each attached to the placenta by an umbilical cord.

3. VAGINA AND VESTIBULA

The uteri of both the sides meet into a long wide, median duct, the vagina, lying dorsally upon the urinary bladder.

It opens posteriorly into the neck of bladder to join the urethra forming a short narrow common urinogenital canal or vestibule.

It runs backwards ventral to the rectum and opens to the exterior by a slit-like aperture, the vulva.

The vagina serves to receive the penis of the male during copulation.

4. CLITORIS

From the anterior wall of vulva projects a small erectile knob-like clitoris.

It is regarded homologous with the male penis since it contains a pair of erectile tissue, the corpora cavernosa.

But the urethra does not pass through the clitoris.

5. ACCESSSORY GLANDS

In the female rabbit, there is no prostate gland.

A pair of small Bartholin’s glands or Cowper’s glands lies embedded in the dorsal wall of vestibule.

Their viscid secretion lubricates the vaginal passage. The perineal and rectal glands are as in the male.

In rabbit the sexes are separate i.e. unisexual and sexual dimorphism is well marked.

The male reproductive organs include a pair of testes, a pair of epididymes, a pair of vasa deferentia, urethra, penis and some accessory glands.

1. TESTES

The paired testes are small, ovoid bodies of light pink colour.

Each testes lies in a special thin-walled sac of hairy skin outside the abdominal cavity, called the scrotum.

It is located ventrally in the pubic region.

In the foetus and new born rabbit, the testes lie within the abdominal cavity near kidneys where they were developed.

But at puberty, they descend through inguinal canals into scrotal sacs.

In most species of mammals the testes remain within scrotal sacs throught life.

But in rabbit, rat and other rodents, they are migratory. They descend into the scrotum during the breeding season, but withdraw into the abdominal cavity during non-breeding periods through inguinal canals which remain open throught life.

The reason for this is spermatozoa can develop within the scrotalsacs at low temperature but cannot develop inside abdomen at normal temperature.

Histologically, the mammalian testis is composed of a number of wedge-shaped or cone-shaped compartments or locules.

The outer protective covering of testis, the tunica aibuginea, is a tough capsule made of white fibrous connective tissue, which projects inwards forming interlobular septa.